FRC and cough

[fabrice]

Hello all,

Yesterday I did a recreational diving session on FRC, which is not new to me since I've been diving exclusively on FRC for more than a year.

Depth varied from 15m to 21m with dive times not exceding 1'30 - all parameters well within my capacities.

After one dive I had an irresistible need to cough and when I spat my saliva was brownish/light orange. I tried to go down again but it was almost impossible because the cough was coming back at about 5m (and you don't want to cough underwater...)

I had no pain in my chest and lungs, and the brownish color in my saliva disappeared in a short time after I stopped diving (about 1 hour).

Is this a case of trachea squeeze ? I know that I was not as relaxed as usual and this was causing equalization to require lots of focus. If this is a tracheal squeeze, are there any ways to overcome this ?

Thanks,

Fabrice

 

[cebaztian]

Is this a case of trachea squeeze ? I know that I was not as relaxed as usual and this was causing equalization to require lots of focus. If this is a tracheal squeeze, are there any ways to overcome this ?

Yes there is a simple and effective way. Listen to your body and stop diving. freediving - squeeze

Sebastian
who sometimes have to stop...

 

[cdavis]

Don't know about the trachea, but pushing equalization while diving FRC can get you into squeeze type problems.

I do a lot of negatives and some FRC diving. Equalization issues are very similar and I have hurt myself twice doing negatives. Recovery took a long time. Strong urge to cough, never saw any color in my saliva, but lungs felt like a bad cough or a deep chest cold for quite a while, several months the first time, several weeks the second. I've learned what it feels like before a problem develops and stop now before any damage is done. The depth I run into problems equalizing definately varies from day to day.

Like Sebastion said, listening to your body and learning to stop early is the best prevention.

Connor.

 

[The Exhale Diver]

I have dived exclusively on FRC for at least three years now and I too have felt that squeeze on a number of occasions, a few times I pushed it a bit hard and coughed up blood although I have not had that happen for quite some time, I used to get that under inhale diving anyway. My experience has taught me that adapting to depth takes longer under FRC but it does happen and it can differ from day to day. If I have had an extended break from diving my depth might be pulled back for this reason, although I have spearfished down to 27 metres on FRC, usually I am around 15 - 20 metres which gives me no strain anymore at all, I simply don't notice it. Around 22 - 23 I can feel it sometimes but it becomes less noticable over time, I believe it helps to make a slow inactive descent. I just love FRC diving so much so that I have not inhaled for many years and probably never will again.

 

[xristos]

What does coughing after exhale dive indicate if there is nothing but air in the cough??

 

[cdavis]

You have still been far enough into negative pressure to irritate the alviolar walls, probably push a bit of fluid into the alveoli, but not enough to show up in a cough.